"I mean, it was a walkthrough."
That was Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin’s assessment of his team's dominant week one performance. He praised his players for preparing at a high level regardless of the opponent. But it was the end of his comment that revealed where his mind truly is.
"It’s been a long offseason and long season since we played them last," Kiffin said, his focus shifting squarely to Kentucky. "Need to go and play better than we did last year.”
For anyone who watched last season’s game, those words are dripping with motivation. That 20-17 stunner in Oxford wasn’t just a loss for Ole Miss; it was a season-derailing, playoff-hope-crushing upset that Kiffin has clearly been stewing on for nearly a year.
The upset that still haunts Oxford
Last year, the Rebels were a top-10 team with national title aspirations when Kentucky came to town. What followed was a chaotic masterpiece of Wildcat resilience. The go-ahead drive was kept alive by one of the gutsiest calls of Mark Stoops' career—a 63-yard bomb from Brock Vandagriff to Barion Brown on fourth-and-7 from their own 20-yard line. It was a shockingly aggressive move from a coach known for being conservative. Kiffin didn't mince words after the game congratulating Stoops on "going for it for the first time in his life probably."
That play set up an even stranger touchdown, when backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt fumbled near the goal line, only for the ball to bounce perfectly into the arms of tight end Josh Kattus in the end zone. The game ended with Rebels kicker Caden Davis hooking a 48-yard field goal attempt, sealing the improbable win for the Cats.
It was a fluke. It was chaos. And it has been eating at Lane Kiffin ever since.
A "long offseason" of waiting
Kiffin’s obsession with that loss is clear. His jab at Stoops' aggressiveness backfired in the most painful way possible. He was outcoached and outplayed in the game's most critical moment. Now, his comment about a "long offseason" confirms this isn't just another game on the schedule. This is a revenge game. For Ole Miss, this trip to Lexington is about exorcising the demons of a loss that knocked them from the ranks of the elite. For Kentucky, it's about proving that last year's magic was no accident.
Kiffin can call his last game a "walk-thru," but the memory of what happened against Kentucky has been a marathon of frustration. On Saturday, he gets his chance for payback.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time, he spends time with his family, and watching Premier League soccer. Colossians 3:13. #UpTheAlbion